50 take up the cross

The Neosho Area Clergy Coalition again marked Good Friday with a cross walk down the Neosho Boulevard, as approximately 50 people walked alongside the large wooden cross late Friday morning.

James Keezer, pastor at the Neosho Church of the Nazarene, said the Easter weekend event has been going for at least seven years now.

“The Easter season, or Lent, is really the most important aspect of what it means to be a Christian,” Keezer said. “If it weren’t for the resurrection then everything that we believe in and stand for would be for nothing.”

As the crowd of worshipers made their from the Neosho Church of the Nazarene, at 1045 Fair Hill Drive, on down Johnson Drive and then north onto Neosho Boulevard, some cars honked, while other motorists stuck their hands out to wave to the crowd.

Though much of the feedback seemed to be supportive, Keezer said the group has not been without the negative reactions in past years.However, no matter what the response of the passers by, Keezer said the mission is accomplished in bringing their attention to the cross and the message behind it.

“The way I look at it is either way it’s good because, the Bible says the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but to those who are redeemed it is life,” Keezer said. “And so, for those who see the cross and there’s an anger, it is still accomplishing its purpose, it’s forcing people to think about the gospel and to think about what that means for them. So whether cars drive by and they honk and wave in agreement or they yell obscenities and shake their fists, it’s accomplishing what it is intended to accomplish.”

The event kicked off at 11 a.m. and included not only members of the church, but also clergy coalition members and members of the general public.

The group made their way down the boulevard, with a participant pulling the large wooden cross in the lead, and could be seen stopping at times for scripture readings.

Keezer said the Cross walk used to be held on the Neosho Square, though it was moved to the Neosho Boulevard because of more traffic and the ability to reach more people.

He said the event serves as a reminder of what Easter weekend is all about.

“We get wrapped up in our lives, in our day to day routine of going to work, having occupations and building families and all of these things and it is amazing that the very creator of the universe, who stepped into humanity, revealed himself to us, is someone that in the 2,000 year time period we easily forget,” Keezer said. “So, in something so simple as putting together a small wooden cross, walking up and down the boulevard, it, in many ways, is just a reminder of a bigger picture, something so small yet says so much.”